Writer's Envy: Wyclef On Marvin Gaye's "What's Going On"

Music

“You can start with the lyrics, which still matter today. But I also like Marvin Gaye because we have the same hairline [laughs]. Usually, I’m not the type to tell you if a guy is fly or not. I’m a hater. But I have to tell you that Marvin Gaye was a cool dude. It was his soul and swag. He was at a commercial peak, but at the same time he wanted to talk about world issues. He was the dude that the girls would come out to see but he could lay it on you in terms of what was happening in the world. When Marvin was recording ‘What’s Going On,’ he was challenged by the commercial side of Motown. They were like, ‘Marvin, what are you doing??? You can’t talk about Vietnam and everything that’s going on.’ To be that’s why he’s one of the greatest.”